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Published on

07 Jul 2008

Abstract

As semiconductor feature sizes shrink into the nanometer scale regime, device behavior becomes increasingly complicated as new physical phenomena at short dimensions occur, and limitations in material properties are reached. In addition to the problems related to the actual operation of ultra-small devices, the reduced feature sizes require more complicated and time-consuming manufacturing processes. This fact signifies that a pure trial-and-error approach to device optimization will become impossible since it is both too time consuming and too expensive. Since computers are considerably cheaper resources, simulation is becoming an indispensable tool for the device engineer. Besides offering the possibility to test hypothetical devices which have not (or could not) yet been manufactured, simulation offers unique insight into device behavior by allowing the observation of phenomena that can not be measured on real devices. Computational Nanoelectronics in this context refers to the physical simulation of nanoscale devices in terms of charge transport and the corresponding electrical behavior. It is related to, but usually separate from process simulation, which deals with various physical processes such as material growth, oxidation, impurity diffusion, etching, and metal deposition inherent in device fabrication leading to integrated circuits. Device simulation is distinct from another important aspect of computer-aided design (CAD), device modeling, which deals with compact behavioral models for devices and sub-circuits relevant for circuit simulation in commercial packages such as SPICE.

In this course we give an overview of the basic techniques used in the field of computational electronics related to device simulation. Topics covered include:

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